Twisted Side Seam Fix

[sandyman]

Working on altering a ready made wedding dress for my daughter. Dress is size 8 and she is size 2 - 4 so there is lots of room in the side seams. The problem is both side seams are twisted. The front darts measure exactly the same to each side seam but the dress twists to the right. Does anyone know how I go about trying to straighten them? Initially, the center back seam below the zipper was twisted but I have managed to straighten it out with the help of a plumb bob. Frustrated here because I just got it so it fits her perfectly - it just hangs (fitted) wonky from about the waist to the hips and the front darts look like they are turning to the right. Side seams are not that noticeable. It took me over 6 months to figure this out. I'm down to 2 months to fix it so I need suggestions soon. Material is satin with lace overlay.

[sewingmom]

Poor dear, I hope someone chimes in to offer good easy advice.

[kaitlinnegan]

I wonder if the fabric is slightly off grain. Since this is an alterations issue and you can't recut the bodice, you might be able to shift the seams a little to alleviate the issue. I am thinking if things are pulling to the right, the seams might need to be shifted slightly to the left, so they are not fighting the "pull" as much? Someone with more experience in alterations might be able to advise better.

[MartySews2]

Hi Sandyman,
You will have to remove the skirt from the bodice and straighten the grain. Otherwise, the dress will continue to twist on her. It is possible that the fabric was off-grain to begin with and the store brand just ignored it. This is often found in garments from 3rd world countries or China. To straighten the grain, you must open up the side seams and the back center seam. As the fabric relaxes, measure the grainline and recut the skirt. You should do this for the lace overlay too. Since you mentioned that you have excess fabric because of the wrong sizing, it should not be difficult to do. Hope this helps. Don't hesitate to ask more questions, I have done bridal wear as well as other garments and I constantly do alterations for others. To me it is much easier to make a dress than to alter one that doesn't fit right. Here are 2 pics of wedding dresses that I have done in the past 2 years. The first dress is one that I made for a friend and the second dress is one that I designed and created a pattern for my cousin's wedding last fall.

Dorian.jpg (143.3 KB) Viewed 20594 times

Nina and Roy Sept 2015.jpg (87.06 KB) Viewed 21247 times

Marty

[sandyman]

Yes the dress was made in China, but it was so cheap that the material alone would have cost 3-4 times more. What do you think about just moving the right dart?

[MartySews2]

Moving the dart is not going to solve the problem with the twisting unfortunately. The dart should be under the bust regardless of the grain of the fabric. Unless the grain of the fabric is straightened, the gown is not going to wear well and will twist. Sorry for the bad news.
Marty